Easy and Delicious Camping Recipes

From a decade of Girl Scouting experience, and numerous canoeing and camping trips, I have done my fair share of cooking over a fire using nothing but the bare essentials. I've learned it's easy to leave all those fancy kitchen gadgets behind and create delicious meals that are rich in flavor. You'll need only these easy camping recipes, and a little bit of ingenuity.

The greatest thing about these camping recipes is that they require very little equipment. To create these delicious meals, all you will need is an open fire, a knife, a can opener, and heavy duty aluminum foil.

Foil Dinners

This is the by far the best of all camping recipes, and is so easy everyone can make one for themselves-including the kids.

Ingredients:

Meat (I've found hamburger patties are the easiest to work with, but any will do)
Butter
Canned Potatoes
Canned vegetables of choice
Garlic Powder (or minced garlic if you prefer)
Chopped Onion
Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

Tear a large rectangle of foil, as you will be folding it to form a packet when all the ingredients are piled on top of it (at least 1½ feet long is usually about right). Lay the sheet of foil on a flat surface. Open the cans, and put the potatoes, canned vegetables, and chopped onion in a pile on the foil-not so much that you wont be able to close the packet. Dice up the butter into small squares and sprinkle a couple tablespoons into each packet. Top with the meat. I've found that hamburger patties are easy to use because they cook a bit faster than other meat, require no cutting, and have no bones. However, you can use whatever kind of meat you like. I would suggest a fattier meat to add a bit more flavor to the vegetables, but any cut will do. Top everything with the garlic powder (or sprinkle diced garlic over it all), salt and pepper.

When you are finished topping the foil sheet with everything you would like to include, fold it into a packet. You can do this by taking two sides and bringing them together, then folding it over twice. Then take the unfolded two sides and fold them over until the pack is tight, similar to rolling up a tube of toothpaste. When all is said and done you will have a sealed packet. It is important to make sure there are no holes, as you want to contain the liquid and moisture.

Put the foil packets directly on the fire, or on a grate if you prefer, using tongs. Cook the dinners according to what meat you have in them, and make sure to rotate the packet periodically to ensure that everything in the packet is cooking evenly. When you believe the meat is cooked through, pull the packets off the fire. If you open it and the meat is not cooked all the way through, it is possible to re-wrap it and cook longer. Given that the moisture is contained, however, it is wiser to cook it longer if you are unsure. The meat will not dry out.

Let the packets cool for a few minutes, then rip or unfold them to enjoy!

Banana Boats

This is my favorite of all sweet camping recipes, and a delicious break from your normal S'mores.

Ingredients:

A bunch of bananas
Mini Marshmallows
Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

Cut through the peel of the banana longwise, on the inner side of the curve and about halfway deep into it. Pull the cut open to more easily place the marshmallows and chocolate chips into it, filling it lengthwise. When the cut is filled sufficiently with goodies, wrap the entire banana (with peel) in aluminum foil, and place directly on fire. Cook approximately 5-10 minutes, to allow the chocolate to melt, and the marshmallows to soften. Pull from the fire, allow to cool for a few minutes, then unwrap and enjoy!

These camping recipes are simple, delicious, and great for groups and children. I hope you enjoy and have a fun, safe trip!